Ephesians 4:17

Bible in Basic English (1941)

This I say, then, and give witness in the Lord, that you are to go no longer in the way of the Gentiles whose minds are turned to that which has no profit,

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Τοῦτο οὖν λέγω, καὶ μαρτύρομαι ἐν Κυρίῳ, μηκέτι ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν καθὼς καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ Ἔθνη περιπατεῖ, ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν,

Transliteration

This oun I legō, and martyromai in Kyriō, no longer you to peripatein kathōs also the rest Ethnē peripatei, in mataiotēti of the noos of them,

Grammar Details

• *oun*: inferential particle - therefore/then
• *legō*: present active indicative, 1st singular - I say/tell
• *martyromai*: present middle indicative, 1st singular - I testify/affirm
• *Kyriō*: dative masculine singular - in Lord
• *peripatein*: present active infinitive - to walk/conduct oneself
• *kathōs*: adverb - just as/even as
• *Ethnē*: nominative neuter plural - Gentiles/nations
• *peripatei*: present active indicative, 3rd singular - walks/conducts itself
• *mataiotēti*: dative feminine singular - in vanity/futility
• *noos*: genitive masculine singular - of mind/understanding

Word Meanings

• *legō*: say/tell/speak
• *martyromai*: testify/affirm solemnly
• *Kyriō*: Lord/master
• *peripatein*: walk/conduct oneself/live
• *Ethnē*: Gentiles/nations/pagans
• *mataiotēti*: vanity/futility/emptiness
• *noos*: mind/understanding/intellect

Referenced Verses

• Rom 1:21 : 21 Because, having the knowledge of God, they did not give glory to God as God, and did not give praise, but their minds were full of foolish things, and their hearts, being without sense, were made dark.
• Eph 2:1-3 : 1 And to you did he give life, when you were dead through your wrongdoing and sins, 2 In which you were living in the past, after the ways of this present world, doing the pleasure of the lord of the power of the air, the spirit who is now working in those who go against the purpose of God; 3 Among whom we all at one time were living in the pleasures of our flesh, giving way to the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and the punishment of God was waiting for us even as for the rest.
• Col 2:4 : 4 I say this so that you may not be turned away by any deceit of words.
• 1 Pet 4:3-4 : 3 Because for long enough, in times past, we have been living after the way of the Gentiles, given up to the desires of the flesh, to drinking and feasting and loose behaviour and unclean worship of images; 4 And they are wondering that you no longer go with them in this violent wasting of life, and are saying evil things of you:
• 1 Pet 1:18 : 18 Being conscious that you have been made free from that foolish way of life which was your heritage from your fathers, not through a payment of things like silver or gold which come to destruction,
• Eph 1:22 : 22 And he has put all things under his feet, and has made him to be head over all things to the church,
• 2 Pet 2:18 : 18 For with high-sounding false words, making use of the attraction of unclean desires of the flesh, they get into their power those newly made free from those who are living in error;
• Col 2:18 : 18 Let no man take your reward from you by consciously making little of himself and giving worship to angels; having his thoughts fixed on the things which he has seen, being foolishly lifted up in his natural mind,
• Eph 4:22 : 22 That you are to put away, in relation to your earlier way of life, the old man, which has become evil by love of deceit;
• 1 Thess 4:1-2 : 1 And last of all, the prayer which we make to you from our heart and in the name of the Lord Jesus, is this: that as we made clear to you what sort of behaviour is pleasing to God, as in fact you are doing now, so you will go on in these ways, but more and more. 2 Because you have in mind the orders we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
• 1 Thess 4:6 : 6 And that no man may make attempts to get the better of his brother in business: for the Lord is the judge in all these things, as we said to you before and gave witness.
• 1 Tim 5:21 : 21 I give you orders before God and Christ Jesus and the angels of God's selection, to keep these orders without giving thought to one side more than another.
• 1 Tim 6:13 : 13 I give you orders before God, the giver of life, and Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate gave witness to the faith,
• 2 Tim 4:1 : 1 I give you orders, before God and Christ Jesus, who will be the judge of the living and the dead, and by his revelation and his kingdom;
• 1 Cor 1:12 : 12 That is, that some of you say, I am of Paul; some say, I am of Apollos; some say, I am of Cephas; and some say, I am Christ's.
• 1 Cor 15:50 : 50 Now I say this, my brothers, that it is not possible for flesh and blood to have a part in the kingdom of God; and death may not have a part in life.
• 2 Cor 9:6 : 6 But in the Writings it says, He who puts in only a small number of seeds, will get in the same; and he who puts them in from a full hand, will have produce in full measure from them.
• Gal 3:17 : 17 Now this I say: The law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, does not put an end to the agreement made before by God, so as to make the undertaking without effect.
• Gal 5:3 : 3 Yes, I give witness again to every man who undergoes circumcision, that he will have to keep all the law.
• Neh 9:29-30 : 29 And gave witness against them so that you might make them come back again to your law: but their hearts were lifted up, and they gave no attention to your orders and went against your decisions (which, if a man keeps them, will be life to him), and turning their backs on you, made their necks stiff and did not give ear. 30 Year after year you put up with them, and gave witness against them by your spirit through your prophets: still they did not give ear: and so you gave them up into the hands of the peoples of the lands.
• Neh 13:15 : 15 In those days, I saw in Judah some who were crushing grapes on the Sabbath, and getting in grain and putting it on asses; as well as wine and grapes and figs and all sorts of goods which they took into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I gave witness against them on the day when they were marketing food.
• Ps 94:8-9 : 8 Give your mind to my words, you who are without wisdom among the people; you foolish men, when will you be wise? 9 Has he by whom your ears were planted no hearing? or is he blind by whom your eyes were formed? 10 He who is the judge of the nations, will he not give men the reward of their acts, even he who gives knowledge to man? 11 The Lord has knowledge of the thoughts of man, for they are only a breath.
• Jer 42:19 : 19 The Lord has said about you, O last of Judah, Go not into Egypt: be certain that I have given witness to you this day.
• Acts 2:40 : 40 And with more such words he gave his witness, offering them salvation and saying, Come out from this evil generation.
• Acts 14:15 : 15 Good people, why are you doing these things? We are men with the same feelings as you, and we give you the good news so that you may be turned away from these foolish things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all things in them:
• Acts 18:5 : 5 And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was completely given up to the word, preaching to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
• Acts 20:21 : 21 Preaching to Jews and to Greeks the need for a turning of the heart to God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Gal 5:19-21 : 19 Now the works of the flesh are clear, which are these: evil desire, unclean things, wrong use of the senses, 20 Worship of images, use of strange powers, hates, fighting, desire for what another has, angry feelings, attempts to get the better of others, divisions, false teachings, 21 Envy, uncontrolled drinking and feasting, and such things: of which I give you word clearly, even as I did in the past, that they who do such things will have no part in the kingdom of God.
• 1 Cor 6:9-9 : 9 Have you not knowledge that evil-doers will have no part in the kingdom of God? Have no false ideas about this: no one who goes after the desires of the flesh, or gives worship to images, or is untrue when married, or is less than a man, or makes a wrong use of men, 10 Or is a thief, or the worse for drink, or makes use of strong language, or takes by force what is not his, will have any part in the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you; but you have been washed, you have been made holy, you have been given righteousness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
• Rom 1:23-32 : 23 And by them the glory of the eternal God was changed and made into the image of man who is not eternal, and of birds and beasts and things which go on the earth. 24 For this reason God gave them up to the evil desires of their hearts, working shame in their bodies with one another: 25 Because by them the true word of God was changed into that which is false, and they gave worship and honour to the thing which is made, and not to him who made it, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it. 26 For this reason God gave them up to evil passions, and their women were changing the natural use into one which is unnatural: 27 And in the same way the men gave up the natural use of the woman and were burning in their desire for one another, men doing shame with men, and getting in their bodies the right reward of their evil-doing. 28 And because they had not the mind to keep God in their knowledge, God gave them up to an evil mind, to do those things which are not right; 29 Being full of all wrongdoing, evil, desire for the goods of others, hate, envy, putting to death, fighting, deceit, cruel ways, evil talk, and false statements about others; 30 Hated by God, full of pride, without respect, full of loud talk, given to evil inventions, not honouring father or mother, 31 Without knowledge, not true to their undertakings, unkind, having no mercy: 32 Who, though they have knowledge of the law of God, that the fate of those who do these things is death, not only go on doing these things themselves, but give approval to those who do them.
• Col 3:5-8 : 5 Then put to death your bodies which are of the earth; wrong use of the flesh, unclean things, passion, evil desires and envy, which is the worship of strange gods; 6 Because of which the wrath of God comes on those who go against his orders; 7 Among whom you were living in the past, when you did such things. 8 But now it is right for you to put away all these things; wrath, passion, bad feeling, curses, unclean talk;